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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · rash · temple · chair · march · fork · lean · hand

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rash — a series
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. chair — a leader
  7. march — the month
  8. rock — a stone
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. lean — thin
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. rock — music
  15. lean — to bend
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. march — the month
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. chair — a professorship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com